The Gateway Grizzlies are 19-8 since the beginning of July and are now in second place in the Frontier League West. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
It actually all began with a blown-lead loss back on July 2.
The Gateway Grizzlies were ahead 6-3 midway through a game against the expansion New England Knockouts, but couldn’t hold the lead and lost that night, 8-7.
That was not a fun evening. But since then, the Grizzlies have a 19-7 record and have won nine straight series.
And that surge up the standings has moved Gateway into sole possession of second place in the Frontier League West Division.
The Grizzlies have a 43-28 overall record, which is the third-best mark in the entire league, and if the playoffs began today, Gateway would be in and would host the West Division Wild Card game, with the winner going on to the West Division Championship Series against current first-place holder, the Washington Wild Things, who have the best record in the league at 49-22.
Gateway is six games behind Washington with 24 games left to play. The Grizzlies are also three games ahead of the third-place Lake Erie Crushers and 6.5 games ahead of fourth-place Schaumburg, which means Gateway is in a pretty good spot for making the playoffs.
But to make sure they get in, the Grizzlies will need to continue their hot play through the second half of the season.
Following that loss to New England, Gateway won the next two to take that series, then won two out of three games in each of its next four series. That winning streak helped the Grizzlies move from fourth place into third.
But Gateway wasn’t done yet.
The Grizzlies swept their next series, three-of-three games against the Joliet Slammers. Then went on two of three against at home against Schaumburg and another new opponent, the New Jersey Jackals, before finishing off this past weekend by taking two of three from Schaumburg again.
Those wins put Gateway in its current spot in second place and has the club in position — if it can stay hot like it is now — to possibly catch Washington, if the Wild Things also cool off a bit.
This week, the Grizzlies will continue their second Chicagoland road trip in less than a month, when they’ll play three games against Joliet at Duly Health and Care Field on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. First pitch for all those games will be 6:35 p.m.
Once that series concludes, Gateway will be back home at Grizzlies Ballpark for a set of games, beginning this weekend, against Evansville and Lake Erie.
That will set the stage for the final stretch of the season, when the Grizzlies will play at Windy City, home against Florence, at Evansville and Lake Erie, before finishing the regular season with a three-game home set against Florence.
Should Gateway make the playoffs, they will begin the first weekend in September, after Labor Day.
UPCOMING GATEWAY GRIZZLIES BASEBALL GAMES
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 6, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Joliet Slammers | Duly Health and Care Field / Joliet, IL |
| August 7, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Joliet Slammers | Duly Health and Care Field / Joliet, IL |
| August 8, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Joliet Slammers | Duly Health and Care Field / Joliet, IL |
| August 9, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Evansville Otters | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 10, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Evansville Otters | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 11, 2024 (Sunday) | 5:30 pm | Home | Evansville Otters | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 13, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 pm | Neutral | Lake Erie Crushers | Springfield, IL |
| August 14, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Lake Erie Crushers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 15, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Lake Erie Crushers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |